I remember dreaming of the perfect nursery when I was expecting Indiana.  Floral prints and cutesy accessories, and of course a design that was all me. But now as she is getting older, and she has her own ideas and favourite things, it's definitely time to update her room. Even more so as she shares a room with her brother, who I'm not sure if so keen on the floral and complete girlyness!

Redecorating doesn't need to involve anything drastic or expensive though. You can make a room look refreshed and new with just a few simple changes! So here's 5 simple ways to redecorate your child's bedroom:

Fresh Paint

Just refreshing the paint on the walls can bring a room back to life! If you went gender neutral (or even extremely girl / boy themed), adding some colour or picking something a bit more toned down can really change how a room looks. We've currently got cream walls in the Littles bedroom, but I'd love to repaint them white with a colourful feature wall.

New Bedding

Letting your child pick out some new bedding can not only update a room, but let them show their personality too. Indiana is still absolutely unicorn obsessed and got lots of unicorn accessories for her recent birthday. J D Williams have a whole collection of unicorn duvet covers and bedding that you can see here - I think even Indie would struggle with what one she'd like most!

Rearrange the Furniture

If the space allows it, just simply moving the furniture you already have around can make a huge difference. It can open up spaces that you previously didn't use or even make more room altogether! We found we had so much more room when we moved the Littles beds - this extra space gave them more room to play and made their room look bigger too!

Personal Art

If your little ones are anything like mine, then you'll have countless pieces of their artwork around the house. So what a better way than to display their art and also jazz up a room, than to use their drawings and paintings as decorations on the wall! Alice shared this fantastic post on how she used Amelia's art work.

Wall Stickers

I know these aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they are a great and relatively low priced way of decorating a room. You can get reusable wall stickers in thousands of designs now, so they're another fantastic way of showing your child's personality in the room too. I know my two would love choosing and sticking their stickers up!

What simple things would you do to redecorate your child's bedroom?

This is a collaborative post

Three US States you Need to Visit!

A trip to the USA can involve a lot of hard work and planning, and that's before you even step foot on the plane! The country is home to no less than fifty states, so you'll need to conduct a lot of research if you want to make sure you see the best sights and make the most of your trip. With that in mind, I've picked three different states that I think you MUST visit this year. I promise you won't regret it!

Illinois

Illinois is a mid-western state that many people seem to overlook when they visit America. The area has a heavy French influence, as it is where many European people settled hundreds of years ago. Chicago is the biggest and best city in Illinois, and so you might like to spend some time there if you enjoy the hustle and bustle. However, there are lots of small towns and cities you should visit, and that is where you will find the real America. The Crazy Tourist and lots of other blogs publish articles that give you a heads up on the best places you won’t want to overlook. 

Louisiana 

New Orleans might have been devastated a few years ago by Hurricane Katrina, but the city is thriving once more these days. If you only visit one place in Louisiana, make sure you stop off for at least a few days in New Orleans. It is the jazz and blues capital of the US, and you’ll find streets with hundreds of bars playing live music all day long. It’s also an excellent place to visit during Mardi Gras if you enjoy the festival atmosphere. Best of all? Accommodation and food are both cheap due to the lack of visitors at the moment, and that means you won’t have to wait around to get served at the bars too!

Tennessee 

Tennessee is a fantastic place to visit if you enjoy country music history. Home to the iconic city of Memphis, you will find Sun Studios and just about every Elvis-based tour and museum in the country - definitely an essential stop on your adventure. Tennessee is also home to some of the best whiskey and bourbon in the world, and so most people like to visit the Jack Daniels distillery if they have time. You can keep costs down by staying at mom and pops-style hotels. You can also sleep in late, watch country musicians all night, and get a feel for cowboy and cowgirl America.

The USA is a big place, and it would be a shame if you only visited the most popular tourist traps. Don’t hesitate to try something different and visit sites others avoid because that is the bases for an excellent adventure. So why not try one of these three more unique states next time you plan for trip to the States!

This is a collaborative post.